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Accelerating music & cultureSat, 01 Aug 2015 04:39:24 +0000en-UShourly1Watch Dekmantel 2015 Live on Boiler Roomhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/watch-dekmantel-2015-live-on-boiler-room/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/watch-dekmantel-2015-live-on-boiler-room/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 00:24:53 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=98098If you are anything like us over here at the XLR8R office in Los Angeles, you are sitting in front of the computer thinking to yourself about how much you wish you were with all of your mates in Amsterdam for Dekmantel 2015.

The next best thing to actually being there is to watch it on the live broadcast over on Boiler Room. You can stream all three days live on their Youtube channel, and you can bet that XLR8R will have more updates about the festival and the stand out performances as they come along. For now, tune in and drop out.

Following on from the politically charged Mongreal EP, Rough Year's "Arch," and the rest of their body of work for that matter, is "focused toward the resurgence of civil rights protests around the world." With "Arch," Rough Year paints an evocative picture, laying gritty field recordings and spoken word snippets underneath menacing drones, knife-edged percussion, and bone-shaking kicks, flowing like a stream of consciousness across its 11-minute run. It's an affecting piece of story telling from a talented newcomer.

You can stream "Arch" in full below, with Rough Year's previous work available here.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-hear-rough-years-arch-in-full/feed/0B2B: Alix Perez & Epromhttp://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/b2b-alix-perez-eprom/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/b2b-alix-perez-eprom/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:37:09 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97884A lot has happened since 2009. Dubstep, for instance, jumped into the mainstream pool with both feet—only to be ushered out rather quickly by the tidal wave of 4/4 EDM. Concurrently, Low End Theory and Alpha Pup Records went from one of L.A.’s best kept secrets to full-blown, experimental, intelligent and sometimes jazzy prominence, courtesy of Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington and the entire stable of artists that label boss and Low End founder Daddy Kev has nurtured for well over a decade.

Even so, it’s hard these days to come by music that's not only a legitimate full-frontal assault in the same vein as tunes from that golden era of gluttonous bass and synths, but that embraces that ethos while giving it a more polished feel. However,when West Coast mid-tempo bass meets half-step U.K. jungle/drum & bass, somewhere around 85 bpm—with a generous helping of hip-hop tossed into the mix—that’s exactly what you get. Specifically, that's what you get with Shades, the new EP from Alexander "Eprom" Dennis and Alix Perez, slated for release on Alpha Pup on July 31st.

The release's music is heavy, without being serious; playful, without meandering. It's tightly crafted bass music for 2015’s sentimentality, put together by two guys who are clearly having fun making music with each other—and it’s a surprisingly fertile middle ground between each artist’s roots. We caught up with the pair for a quick chat about the EP, their recording process and what they hope to bring to their performance together at the Low End Theory Festival, coming up on August 8.

Shade's tracks feel like a throwback to the Glitch Mob when they had Kraddy, or some of the Megasoid and Lazer Sword stuff from around 2009. Is that something you guys were going for?
Eprom: I come from that world. Alix comes from a different world but for me, I went to college with the Glitch Mob dude Justin, and we did some projects together—so there’s definitely some crossover and influence from those guys. Megasoid were a big influence on me early on, people doing that sort of hard beat music at hip hop tempo with super heavy basslines and weird drum sound design. To me, those guys were definitely an early influence. We share some aspects of the sound, but I think Alix definitely arrived at that sound through different avenues.

Perez: I come primarily from more jungle and drum & bass, but I’ve kind been following the whole Low End Theory and L.A. beat scene for quite a few years now. A lot of my original influences in music are from hip-hop, and I got drawn to that scene because it’s the merging of electronic music with more classic hip-hop things; that’s what really caught my ear. You mentioned Lazer Sword, which is someone that I followed quite a lot back then—and obviously, like I said, all the Low End things.

I became aware of Sander’s music quite early on as well. It’s always been something I’ve been drawn to, and there’s been a natural shift in my solo stuff which we call half-time, which is halving the tempo of drum & bass—so around 85 bpm which naturally stands within the kind of tempo that the whole beat scene was working around. Maybe a bit higher, maybe a bit lower. And that’s a natural thing for me and with Sander, I feel we’re both aware of each others’ music and we met actually in person at a festival in New Zealand a couple years ago and we got on and chatted and talked about making music. I feel the whole thing’s kind of natural, it’s not forced, we’re not trying to make it a certain sound, we’re just having fun blending what we both do together.

Both of you came up within fairly strict genres, whether it’s the mid-tempo West Coast camping-party scene or U.K. drum & bass. Is the fact that the Low End scene doesn’t have the same type of strict boundaries or genre expectations part of the appeal of releasing on Alpha Pup for both of you?Eprom: Definitely. To me, Low End Theory in particular has always been this sort of proving ground for tracks and it’s kind of like…I make a lot of tunes for the DJs at Low End Theory to play, and for myself to play when I go there. And you can make these crazy, experimental DJ-tool banger tracks and people eat them up. It’s cool to have that petri-dish, testbed thing of Low End Theory, so we’re really looking forward to playing at the festival.

"That’s what I like having: creative freedom and being able to do whatever I want."

Perez: For me, same thing. I got to play Low End Theory for the first time last year, and it was one for the books for me. I was mad nervous. It was interesting to see, because Daddy Kev has always represented jungle and that side of things and other interesting things going on, from footwork to the half-time thing and the kind of rave element of things, with Mentasm coming back in. Like you said, there’s no kind of barrier—it’s really open. And that’s what I like having: creative freedom and being able to do whatever I want. Kind of keeping it within a sort of comprehensive sound, I guess,—but having no barriers is definitely a bonus for me.

Tell me about your process and what kind of equipment you’re using to squeeze such massive sound into these tunes, and how these tracks ultimately came together in the studio.
Eprom: Well I use Ableton Live, and Alix mainly uses Logic, but we’ve started shifting things toward mostly using Ableton Live. But he does a lot of sound design in Logic ,and I do sound design in Ableton or analog synths. I think the first couple tracks, what did we do? I think we just loaded up some drums & bass sounds, and just went from there.

Perez: Yeah, the "Minotaur" track was basically you jamming with the drums on Ableton and me jamming with the Virus live, I think. We recorded a session of maybe 15 minutes of jamming on different bass patches, distorting them, filtering them, not MIDI or anything, just really loose—and sort of chopping things up and putting them together, and developing from there. It was really just like fun.

Eprom: That’s the way I like to work a lot. Just set up a little loop and play it through some analog synths and mess with different settings. Chop them up. We did that in the Red Bull Studio, too. We took a drum loop and ran it through a Lexicon delay unit, where you can modulate the delay times so that’s how we did that crazy, flangey drum breakdown in "Minotaur." I’m too ADD to sit there and just dial in every little sound, so it’s more fun to set something up where we can jam and pick the best bits after that. Just keep it kinda loose and flowing.

There’s a lot more freedom today with all of the different performance tools and with how hardware interacts so seamlessly with software.
Perez: We’re both quite big fans of analog as well and I’ve got quite a few synths myself—Moog, Virus, JP8000 and a few more – and I think that’s maybe something that’s a little bit different about our sound. I’m still stuck with the analog-think, even though I do have soft synths and like using them sometimes. Rut just doing something really raw is the basis behind it for me.

"Low End Theory is probably my favorite place to play in the whole world because the crowd is so up."

You two are performing together at the Low End Theory festival. What does that mean to you, and what do you plan on bringing to your performance there?
Eprom: Low End Theory is probably my favorite place to play in the whole world because the crowd is so up for it and they’re so into what I’m doing—they know me and it’s just a really great feedback loop. For this festival, we’re basically building the set from scratch; we’re still working on it, but it’s going to be two Ableton laptops and possibly some other gear. We’re really looking forward to it.

Perez: Ableton kind of syncs things so we’re playing against each other with our own music and we’re working on new stuff, too, that we’re going to bring into the set and really push exactly how we represent our collaboration and how to embody the whole sound. We’ll incorporate a few tracks from other people here and there but it’s mainly about pushing and defining what we’re doing. And like said, we’re really looking forward to it. I already said how nervous I was last year before playing Low End for the first time, as nervous as I’ve been in a long time. I’ve played big crowds before but it wasn’t the crowd, it was about Low End Theory itself, a staple night and something that’s really important. I feel quite comfortable that people are going to understand where we’re coming from with this project and that it’s something they’ll be able to relate to. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it goes down.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/b2b-alix-perez-eprom/feed/0Powel Crash Landing On Laputa EPhttp://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/powel-crash-landing-on-laputa-ep/
http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/powel-crash-landing-on-laputa-ep/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:20:46 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97996You've got to admire All Day I Dream's consistency. In its three and a half years of existence, Matthew Dekay and Lee Burridge's label has perfected the kind of hazy, mid-tempo house that's become de riguer for a certain subset of summertime open-air party—including, of course, the All Day I Dream shindigs themselves. You could make the argument that the label's releases tend to follow established templates rather than break new ground; you could contend that its music tends to be skew towards the pleasant, peaceful end of the dance-music spectrum, rather than provide a gut-punching thrill. And you'd be right, but you'd be missing the point: All Day I Dream's mission is to provide emotive, melodious soundtrack to swaying in the breeze or hugging your pals on the dancefloor, perhaps while alternating waves of melancholy and joy (or just plain old head rushes) sweep over you. Crash Landing On Laputa, the new EP from Paul "Powel" Chriske, accomplishes that mission in thorough, and quite beautiful, fashion.

Starting off with a thick kick, doubled on the four, with nicely subtle hi-hats adding to the laid-back rhythmic feel, the title track—named for the flying island inGulliver's Travels—is quickly defined by a floating, four-note synth line that's pure bliss. Drenched in reverb, warm pads shimmering in the background with just a low-frequency bassline (along with that kick) to provide propulsion, it's the kind of music Orbital might have made back in the early ’90s—had the Hartnoll brothers been in a permanent dream state while in the studio. "Feels Like Earth" is cast from the same mold—drifting synths abound—and, if anything, has ever fewer sharp edges; the releases' final cut, "The Tale Of Crime Solving Sheeps," is probably the most delicate of the bunch (and that's saying something), its stately melody plunked out by a celestial piano while pizzicato strings provide counterpoint. Does Crash Landing On Laputa break new ground? No. But the terrain it travels over is gorgeous, and for All Day I Dream, that's what counts.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/powel-crash-landing-on-laputa-ep/feed/0Random Rab "39 Circles (CloZee Remix)"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/random-rab-39-circles-clozee-remix/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/random-rab-39-circles-clozee-remix/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 18:21:12 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=98055Opening with slightly frayed strings and a fragile melody, CloZee makes her intentions clear early, keeping in with the haunting vibe of Random Rab's original, the French producer twists the laid back cut into more majestic territory. CloZee's glitchy production style melds perfectly with "39 Circles," with her snapping snare rolls and rolling drums complimenting Random Rab's instrumentation. "39 Circles" is pulled from Random Rab's forthcoming LP which is slated for release in September on Abandon Building. Ahead of the release, you can download the CloZee remix for free below.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/random-rab-39-circles-clozee-remix/feed/0Alixander III to Release Heavy Friends 2 EP on Toy Tonicshttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/alixander-iii-to-release-heavy-friends-2-ep-on-toy-tonics/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/alixander-iii-to-release-heavy-friends-2-ep-on-toy-tonics/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 16:50:44 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=98027Following Azari & III's final split and last performance in 2014, former band member and producer Alixander III returns to the Toy Tonics label.

Heavy Friends 2 is a 4-track collaborative endeavor featuring multiple guest vocalists and producers from Alixander III's hometown of Toronto, Canada. Inspired by the motor city of Detroit, the EP delivers a tight package of vintage, old school and soulful techno.

Listen to a preview of the track "Broken Promises" below. Toy Tonics will release Heavy Friends 2 on September 14, 2015.

Tracklisting:

1. Alixander III & Marsupials - Broken Promises

2 .Alixander III, Saytek & Dave DeValera - Don't Trust Me

3. Alixander III & Tuxxedo - Go On Use Me

4. Alixander III feat. Kim E and Gingy - (She's So) Young

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/alixander-iii-to-release-heavy-friends-2-ep-on-toy-tonics/feed/0Listen to Clay Wilson's New EP Skandhahttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/listen-to-clay-wilsons-new-ep-skandha/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/listen-to-clay-wilsons-new-ep-skandha/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:00:36 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97992The Bunker New York has been consistently releasing strong records this year, with recent releases by Mark Verbos, Romans (a.k.a. Tin Man & Gunnar Haslam), and LØT.TE all in constant rotation at the XLR8R office. Next up for the Brooklyn-based label is Clay Wilson's brand new four-track EP, Skandha,coming out on September 1. This is Wilson's second go-around on the label, previously dropping BK002 back in February of 2014. Clay is an incredible producer who is constantly honing his craft, and it's easy to tell that his hard work has been paying off when you hear Clay performing one of his improvised live hardware sets.

You can pre-order the limited-edition orange vinyl right now on The Bunker's Bandcamp page, and you can catch Clay performing one of his infamous live sets next month at The Bunker LTD, and in October in Denver for GATF.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/listen-to-clay-wilsons-new-ep-skandha/feed/0LooseWomen "Slides"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/loosewomen-slides/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/loosewomen-slides/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 01:03:04 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97957Following on from its debut release—Kollaps' GTi001—vinyl-only UK label Grade 10 will drop the latest release from LooseWomen on August 10. GTi002 is a three-track EP that explores the sound of the late eighties and early nineties, backed by a remix from fellow Grade 10 artist ClassicCoke. B-side cut "Slides" is a low-slung, Balearic-tinged affair driven along by floating pads and groovy, muted drums; whispered vocal phrases slide in and out across the sun-soaked five-minute run, giving it a vibe that would fit perfectly with a hazy summer afternoon. You can download "Slides" for free below, with the EP available for preorder here.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/loosewomen-slides/feed/0Event Review: Sacred Ground Festivalhttp://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/event-review-sacred-ground-festival/
http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/event-review-sacred-ground-festival/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 22:23:24 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97915“The goal is only that we all return home after Sacred Ground full in heart and lungs from the time together,” says the festival mission statement.

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning in Brüssow, a serene country village situated 100 kilometers north of Berlin. The sun is shining and the locals are out, from the young children to the town elderly, all watching in amazement as music lovers arrive from far and beyond to enjoy the first edition of Sacred Ground Festival. The grounds, a luscious field with aged farm buildings around the outside, is scattered carefully with low-lying beds, Persian rugs and home-made benches, all placed to promote a relaxed and care-free atmosphere —a welcome contrast to the hustle and bustle that surrounds the common festival.

With a line-up that included David August, Âme and Howling, it would be easy to go on and on about the music — but to do so would serve as a great injustice to the magic of Sacred Ground. Reflecting back, while the tremendous art installations and performances provided a focal point for all those fortunate few in attendance, it is this sense of harmonious community that must be captured in this review. As RY X alluded to in an interview leading up to the event, Sacred Ground is more akin to a gathering than a festival. Absent are the queues and overpriced refreshments, replaced instead with fresh local catering and a sense of togetherness, captured most perfectly as the artists mingle with the crowd, dancing in unison under the stars and indulging in the moment all together.

The music, as expected, was spectacular. Though initially a questionable ploy, the lack of confirmed set times actually worked in such a small setting, encouraging a sense of unity and collaboration. Notable midafternoon performances by Dream Koala and Kalabrese & Rumpelorchester came and went, but it was when Howling graced the stage that the party really began. As the locals began to drift off to there homes as the skies darkened, the intimacy gave the feeling of a private showcase for which one had won tickets rather than a festival open to the public. Stunning sets from Dauwd and Âme set the tone for David August, a special talent who delivered once again with a spectacular early morning performance before going back to back with Wiedemann and RY X as the sun began to rise over the ancient barn that formed a perfect backdrop to the festival.

Inevitably for a festival in such remote location, the accessibility of Sacred Ground could certainly deter some folk from making the journey. Although the train ride is easy and shuttle buses are provided between the station and the festival site, it's a long way to travel for an event that spans only one day. However, this is only a minor point, and based on this it is hard to brand the first edition of Sacred Ground anything other than a grand success. The challenge, however, comes now. As the demand for the event grows as will the temptation to expand the size, and the scalability of the Sacred Ground “community” formula is dubious, at best.

Der Zyklus is the long standing project from Gerald Donald—Dopplereffekt producer and one half of legendary Electro duo Drexciya. Filled with his renowned drum-machine grooves, chilly synth tones, and squelchy acid lines, the four-track EP will land on Zone Records on September 15 and will be available digitally, and as a limited edition vinyl release in partnership with The Vinyl Factory.

Pushing a forward-thinking blend of leftfield house and techno, Subculture is the worlds longest running underground house club, with Harri & Domenic spinning at the club as residents every Saturday since 1994. As a preview to the weekend's festivities, Domenic has presented us with 198 minutes of soul-infused disco, house, and techno, all mixed together with his deft touch and musicality.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-domenics-subculture-electronic-soul-mix/feed/0Weekly Selections: Dekmantel, Krake Festival, Charivari Detroithttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/weekly-selections-dekmantel-krake-festival-charivari-detroit/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/weekly-selections-dekmantel-krake-festival-charivari-detroit/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 16:07:15 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97693Last week of July means we are up to our neck into festival season, and to prove it there's no festival shortage anywhere in the U.S. or Europe this weekend, nor any way for me to keep this post short. Check out some of our favorite picks below.

Amsterdam's Dekmantel Festival kicks off tonight at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ with Autechre (live) and Manuel Gottsching performing a live version of 'E2-E4', followed by expanded day and night performances throughout the weekend with two new venues added from last year.Krake Festival returns to Berlin Monday for six packed days of leftfield techno and experimental sounds featuring cut­ting edge acts like Untold, Cassegrain & Tin Man, Eomac, and Bin­tus.
Over in Brooklyn, Full Moon Fest takes place all Saturday at the Brooklyn Mirage with Wolf+Lamb and the whole Crew Love family, plus international acts like Tensnake, Yelle, Rufus du Sol and Kite String Tangle.Charivari Detroit Festival is a two day free festival taking place during the day Saturday and Sunday in Belle Isle State Park featuring a big lineup of the best in Detroit based acts like Moodyman, Detroit Techno Militia, Eddie Fowlkes, Theo Parrish, while the after party action is taken care of by three days of pre- and afterparties at The Works.

It's a big weekend in XLR8R hq Los Angeles with highlights including tonights IHEARTCOMIX party featuring Kastle, Plastician, Swindle, Patrick Brian, and Swelta. On Friday night, Lot 613's Prototype series will see Howling, Ame (live), plus local support from Droog and Plastic Love, while at a nearby secret location JACK promises to go off with Dj Three and resident selectors Jeniluv and MD. Sunblock returns to the Standard rooftop in dtla on Saturday afternoon with Dam-Funk, and later that night The Black Lodge will showcase Underground Resistance artist Nomadico (aka Dj Dex) who is celebrating his latest release on his new imprint Yaxteq, plus surprise guest L.I.E.S. artist WV (White Visitation).

For more event suggestions, to search your city, or to add your own events, visit the events page.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/weekly-selections-dekmantel-krake-festival-charivari-detroit/feed/0Kerri Chandler's Sunday Sunlight Now Available On Apollonia Musichttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/kerri-chandlers-sunday-sunlight-now-available-on-apollonia/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/kerri-chandlers-sunday-sunlight-now-available-on-apollonia/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 16:00:41 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97754If spending hours on Discogs digging for classic house vinyl sounds like your idea of a good time, then allow us tell you about a re-issue that is surely going to sell out very quickly.

Kerri Chandler's hard-to-find "Sunday Sunlight" was first heard on the elegant 1999 deep-house EP, Night Moves. The record was formerly released on the short-lived Metaphor label, which was only around for about two years but which also saw understated releases by Miquifaye and Dennis Ferrer. The track became an outright underground hit, and first pressings of "Sunday Sunlight" have been breaking the bank on the internet ever since, sometimes fetching upwards of $80 for a fair-condition original pressing without the sleeve. But now, we're treated to a clean repress of this house masterpiece on Apollonia music, the French label run by the DJ triumvirate of the same name. It's easy to hear why this track was in dire need of a repress when you hear the magic that was ’90s Chandler—and as a bonus, the B-side comes with a Delano Smith remix that debuted last year.

The record is available at Juno right now. You can listen to the remix by Smith on the Soundcloud player below, and you can click here to get your copy of this exemplary release.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/kerri-chandlers-sunday-sunlight-now-available-on-apollonia/feed/0All-Access: MUTEKhttp://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/all-access-mutek/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/all-access-mutek/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 15:56:12 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97715MUTEK is a name that any electronic-music aficionado should be familiar with. Launched over 16 years ago in Montreal, it's a festival that's been unwavering in its mission to showcase innovative and avant-garde electronics and art. This year's edition ran across five non-stop days and nights at Montreal's Musée d'art contemporain (MAC), and various other venues in the heart of the city, with world premieres and performances by Cobblestone Jazz, Atom™ & Robin Fox, Dasha Rush, Mathew Jonson, John Tejada, Music For Lamps, Hiroaki Umeda, and many more. With festivals now in Mexico, Barcelona, and Bogotá, XLR8R ventured to MUTEK's birthplace to profile one of electronic music's most inspiring soirees.
]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/all-access-mutek/feed/0roBOt Festival Announces the Fourth Wave of Artists Scheduled to Play Eighth Editionhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/robot-festival-announces-the-fourth-wave-of-artists-scheduled-to-play-eighth-edition/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/robot-festival-announces-the-fourth-wave-of-artists-scheduled-to-play-eighth-edition/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 14:59:43 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97856roBOt Festival has announced the fourth and perhaps final wave of acts scheduled for this year's eighth edition which expands with 10 new artists.

One performance that stands out immediately from the list is the live-set by Siriusmodeselektor. With their participation in roBOt Festival, they will be closing their world tour offering the audience a final opportunity to attend one of their widely acclaimed live sets. The project brings together Siriusmo and Modeselektor, accompanied by the visual artist Pfadfinderei.

Among the national premieres are two live-sets, one by Prostitutes, the stage name of James Donadio, and the other by the Italian Chevel. Also added to the line-up is Koreless, an artist who lives music as a journey and who presents his new live-set. Italian Yakamoto Kotzuga will also be presenting his new album at roBOt Festival.

The 8th edition of RoBOt Festival will take place in Bologna, Italy from October 7 - October 10, with a concert preview at Teatro Comunale di Bologna on September 20.

More information, including the full line-up to date, can be found on the festival's official website.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/robot-festival-announces-the-fourth-wave-of-artists-scheduled-to-play-eighth-edition/feed/0Q&A: Steve Cobbyhttp://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-steve-cobby/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-steve-cobby/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 13:00:19 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97385Over the course of his two-and-a-half-decade-plus career, Hull, England's Steve Cobby has accumulated more pseudonyms than almost anyone out there. And most of them are pretty cool ones, too: Since his late '80s days as the keyboardist and guitar slinger for funk combo Ashley & Jackson, he's been variously known—sometimes working alone, other times with partners—as Horsemilk, 2 Loops Lautrec, PVP, the Solid Doctor, White Dopes On Funk, 2 Loops Lautrec, Barney Mullhouse, Brazil Nuts, Heights Of Abraham, Hey, Rube!, J.S.T.A.R.S., North East Sound System, and Peacecorps. (And that's only about half of them.) But the nom de musique his probably most associated with is undoubtedly the one used by his long-running partnership with David McSherry, Fila Brazillia. Releasing music from 1991 through the mid-'00s—largely on the seminal Pork Recordings run by Cobby and David "Porky" Brennand, with the duo's later music coming out on Cobby, McSherry and Sim Lister's Twentythree label—the duo's sound, like most everything Cobby had a hand in, was loose-limbed, laid-back, a little bit wiggly and a whole lot satisfying. It was sometimes lumped into the trip-hop category, but Fila's was infinitely more accomplished than most of that genre; other times it was classified as acid jazz, though it was never as…well, acid-jazzy as that description would imply. Instead, the sound was hypnotic, otherworldly, and even a bit psychedelic, in its own subtle way.

In 2006, Cobby, with Lister, set up the Steel Tiger imprint—but production-wise, he'd been relatively quiet in rcent years, aside from the intermittent tune as the Cutler, his duo with old pal Brennand. That changed in a big way in 2014 when, under his own name, he put out the well-received Saudade long-player on his own Déclassé label—and this past May, scarcely a year after Saudade, he returned with a new album, Everliving. Like its predecessor, Everliving is a rich, sophisticated, emotive and accomplished collection of songs, jumping between and through genres and vibes with abandon—though, like most of Cobby's work, the tempo rarely strays much above the 120 bpm mark. (Bonus: The man is a hell of a DJ, too, as anyone who was at the recent Wild Life festival can attest.) XLR8R recently had the pleasure of catching up with Cobby via Skype, and the veteran happily opined on his past accomplishments, his current work, and much more.

I was doing a bit of research before talking to you, and I ran into a fact that I didn’t know: A Fila Brasileiro is a breed of big Brazilian dog.
Not many people are familiar with that fact. The reason that we based the name for the project on that was very ad hoc—as much of my career has been. David McSherry and I have been friends since we were in our teens, and we’d always dallied and experimented together, but had never worked on a solid project. We had separate bands—the standard guitar-bass-drums sort—but when we got together, it was always this kind of open-minded. We just enjoyed ourselves and did whatever we wanted. I had a little production suite—it had been facilitated through the deal with Ashley & Jackson, but when I was dropped from Big Life, I still had the studio to work in, and we used to get together fairly informally and do these little sessions.

Was that the beginning of Fila Brazillia?
Well, what happened was that around the time that we got dropped, Porkie was looking to start a label, and he had heard a couple of things that we had done together, and he asked if he could release one of the tracks. We didn’t have a name for the track, and we didn’t have a name for the project. We ended up calling the track “Mermaids,” because we had a bit of a Robinson Crusoe motif at the time. But we still needed something to call ourselves. I was in the car one day, and I had the radio on, and it was tuned into Today in the Commons, and an MP was calling for a ban on the Fila Brasileiro breed. Apparently, they’re Brazilian type of bull mastiff. Of course, I misheard it completely. I proposed my misheard version, and everyone was okay with it. It wasn’t till a few weeks later that we did discover the correct spelling…but we decided to stick with the way we had it, because we liked the association with the sports company. As well with as the country, of course. And we never thought we would do more than one song, anyway.

You were happily mistaken.
Yes, and the rest is history, as the cliché goes.

Fila Brazillia was such a seminal act of the ’90s downtempo world. Has that been a blessing or a curse in the years since?
I actually spent a lot of time trying to put it behind me. I was making too much of a concerted effort to ditch my history. But as I got older, I did realized that it is the thing that people associate me with, and I shouldn’t disassociate myself from it. And now, I’m quite proud of it! And I’m proud of all my collaborations—not just Fila.

"I like the Kraftwerk model, where you almost treat the process like a factory job and clock on and clock off at regular hours, rather than treat the studio as a bohemian nest where you wait for the muse to descend."

And not just your collaborations—you had a ton of great solo work as well.
Well, after we got dropped from Big Life, I was adamant about owning the means of production. I didn’t want to have to go through another label in order to make a record manufactured. And I realized you more chance of being properly independent if you worked at your own speed. I like the Kraftwerk model, where you almost treat the process like a factory job and clock on and clock off at regular hours, rather than treat the studio as a bohemian nest where you wait for the muse to descend. That view of working in the studio allowed me to be more prolific, I think. Both alone and when I was working with other, and because of the relationship with Pork, I was able to release music as prodigiously as possible. I’m still kind of in that mindset.

In actuality, if one looks at your entire discography, there really is a wide variety of tempos and styles in there.
You’re right—I do try to keep it varied. I don’t want to stick to one particular genre. Of course, at times I’ve made music for certain purposes. When I was deejaying every weekend, for instance—I was practically on retainer at the local nightclub—I was making more out-and-out dance music, because I wanted to make music that I could play out. But when I started exploring longer-form recordings in the mid-'90s, as opposed to just doing twelve-inches, I wanted to have work that did span 60 minutes without becoming too repetitive. I wanted to make music with a nice sweep of colors. Like my brother would be bringing Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd into the house—those albums weren’t just one song, like AC/DC. I’ve said this more than once: Pigeonholes tend to be full of pigeon shit.

Saudade was your first solo album in a while, right?
The last solo record was 18 years ago, as the Solid Doctor. But once I made the decision to do that record and this record, I’m now thinking about an album a year might be about right—not only in terms of getting the work itself done right, but also being able to get it to market. I’m doing it all myself, manufacturing and everything, so it’s a bit of work.

Was it the reaction to Saudade that set you on this path? That record seemed to get a pretty good response.
I was surprised, to be honest!

What does the name of that album refer to?
It’s a Portuguese word. I wasn’t familiar with it myself. I had reached an impasse with something else I had been working on, and I felt like I needed to go off and do something on my own. And the solo album that became Saudade just came out of the blue. I presented some library music to the publishers, music that I had found by going through the hard drives…things that were unfinished or had been cast away. And the publishers choose about 12 of them—but there were 12 they didn’t chose, and I thought it would be a shame if they just sat there and nothing happened with them. So I finished them off and decided put them out on the label that I had been working with—but there was still a lot of friction with that label, so I offered it to other labels. The last thing I wanted to do was to start another label myself. This is the fourth one I’ve been involved with now! But when I offered it to people, I didn’t get any replies—not even a “no, thanks.” Except for Richard Dorfmeister; he got back to me to say that G-Stone wasn’t releasing anymore. I got into a low funk, feeling sorry for myself. Steel Tiger hadn’t really made it; nothing we had put out had done that well. I was thinking maybe it’s time to become a council gardener; maybe I really am a taxi driver; maybe it’s time to get a proper job.

No!
Well, I was at that point. But once I got done feeling sorry for myself, I realized that I have this skill set that I’ve built over 30 years. And it’s easier to do things independently now than it’s ever been. So I thought I would try a crowd-funded thing. I went to Kickstarter, and as far as they were concerned, Steve Cobby had no kudos whatsoever. Obviously—because I had never released anything as Steve Cobby! If I had tried to do it as Fila Brazillia, they would have checked the social media, and the points would have been infinitely better. Finally, I decided to do it on Bandcamp—I’ll do it digitally and press up a few CDs, thinking that this would end being something else that would trickle through the cracks.

But it obviously didn’t,
The reaction was a revelation. I didn’t expect it to be nearly as positive as it was. But, to get back to the question about the name—sorry this was such a longwinded answer—I had been posting things up on Soundcloud as I was finishing them, and a Portuguese fan had written, as a remark on one of the tracks, “saudede.” I looked it up, and there was no English translation for it, but it vaguely meant a sense of longing or melancholy. I thought, fantastic! That sums up where I’m at! Originally I was going to release this under the Solid Doctor name, but I thought I’ll come clean and stop this kind of obfuscation, and put it out under my own name. And for whatever reason, there seemed to be a palpable difference in the way that the music was appreciated. I was propelled forward. And that was the seed of this album.

"This is my third wave: The first was with Ashley & Jackson, the second was with Pork Recordings and everything that entailed, and the third is me on my own."

That must have been a great weight off your shoulders.
It was a very good feeling. It was a turning point. And that album was really just picking through the past ten years and finding castoffs; this album was written from scratch. And I’d not done that for like 20 years, really—sitting down and doing solo work. This is my third wave: The first was with Ashley & Jackson, the second was with Pork Recordings and everything that entailed, and the third is me on my own. I’ll still do collaborations, but they won’t be coming out on Déclassé.

I guess that all explains why the new album’s title comes off as a bit more optimistic than one that denotes “a sense of longing or melancholy.”
I’d actually had Everliving on the short list of titles for a while. It’s Rasta terminology for immortality: everliving Jah. What sealed the deal with the name was a quote that I heard from some composer—I forget who it was—but he was asked, “Is there life after death?” And he said, “No, I just do music.” I just thought, there’s your heritage—there’s your legacy! You are almost everliving, in a way. You do these things, and hoping they’ll have a residency…not knowing, you just cross your fingers. But when they do, the ripples travel down through time—and your legacy is intact. As long as there’s electricity, I suppose. [laughs]

Do you ever wonder about how much of our cultural heritage, musical or otherwise, would cease to exist if electricity suddenly disappeared?
Absolutely. But on the other hand, how much more magical must music have been for listeners before they started archiving it? You’d hear it once, and that would be it. You can’t go back and listen to that performance again. Imagine you’re back 300 or 400 years ago, and you just got invited to some baroque recital. It would be like heaven; it would be phenomenal. And it would be sealed in your mind forever—it would have to be, because you knew that you couldn’t listen to it over and over again. Maybe we should make records that we can only make once. Real beauty is ephemeral, isn’t it? The reason something is beautiful is because it appears and then dies. But obviously, life is everliving.

There’s a certain mystical quality to some of the song titles, like “The Sober Certainty of Waking Bliss” and “May Flights of Angels Sing Him to His Rest.”
Those are both quotes, actually. “The sober certainty of waking bliss” is from a philosopher named Gerard Heard, talking about the early experiments with LSD—the clinical trials, where people talked about the sea that connects everybody between the islands that we perceive ourselves as. It’s beautiful, the way he elucidates it. When I first heard that…certain things just kind of jump out at you, and they have to go into your notebook. That also happened with “may flights of angels sing him to his rest,” which is a Orson Welles quote, where he’s talking about one of his recently departed friends, eulogizing beautifully. I thought, what a beautiful turn of phrase! You couldn’t imagine anybody saying anything like that nowadays; there’s a real romanticism to it.

On the other hand, the album has songs with names like “Clams” and “Nip It Up Choppy.”
We were going past the local supermarket, and they had rebuilt the petrol station on the forecourt, and my youngest son Eddie said, “They nipped that up choppy.” Another one that went right into the notepad. So Eddie gets credit for that one.

"I don’t want my music to be like a Mondrian painting. There are no straight lines in nature, you know?"

Everliving is a very rich-sounding album, and you use a lot of live instrumentation. Who were the musicians?
Me! Well, I played all the guitars, bass and keyboards. A lot of the drums are me playing on a MIDI kit, and then firing off to BFD, this drum program from FXpansion that I really like. I’m a terrible drummer—and I’m not a particularly good guitarist, bassist or keyboard player, either—but the beauty of having your own recording suite is that you can patch things up to your hearts desire.

I have a feeling perfection isn’t your goal, though.
I try not to get too carried away. I’ll never do more than three passes. I don’t like things that are overproduced; I don’t want my music to be like a Mondrian painting. There are no straight lines in nature, you know? Real beauty has flaws.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-steve-cobby/feed/0Hi-Five: Ed Rush & Opticalhttp://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-ed-rush-optical/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-ed-rush-optical/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 12:30:16 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97350Foot-stomping, fist-pumping breakbeats, designed with rebellious youth in mind—that's the sound of Ed Rush & Optical, and even if you're not an acolyte of their belting rhythms, you've got to admire the consistency of their musical vision. Working both separately and together, they've been at the drum & bass game almost since there was a game—and for much of that time they've called Fabric home, having headed up the bill at the the famed London club's very first d&b night ever way back in the last millennium. Through countless club nights, dozens singles and five albums (including 1999's seminal Wormhole), most released on their own Virus Recordings, they've become synonymous with what's become known as the Virus sound, a neurofunked-up subset of techstep that's comes off like a runaway locomotive. Purists might not dig it—but the kids sure seem to, and the style has served the duo well for the better part of two decades. Almost shockingly, Ed Rush & Optical had never contributed to Fabric's Fabriclive mix-CD series, but that omission has now been rectified via Fabriclive 82, which (as you would expect) is brimming with the kind of frenetic tunes with which the pair made their name. To celebrate the release, the veteran DJ-producers have made a list of their five favorite drum & bass clubs in Europe—no prizes for guessing the identity of the first club on that list.

"This list could never be a good representation of all the clubs we play at...there are so many really great clubs for d&b throughout the world. We are just going to focus on some of the best U.K.and European d&b nights we perform at."

1. Fabric (London, U.K.)We played on the opening weekend and its been our favorite club in London ever since! It never fails to be a great time for us when we DJ and it always feels like coming home. The sound and production in every room is heavy—just the way we like it!

Photo: Sarah Ginn

2. Star Warz @ Vooruit (Ghent, Belgium)
We have had the pleasure of playing for Starwarz since the first event and it has always had a special atmosphere; the club is an amazing space and the people who go there are very knowledegable about the music, but a lot of fun too so it always ends up with all the DJs, staff and ravers wishing it didn't have to end.

3. Major League @ The Melkweg (Amsterdam, Holland)Both the club and the Major League crew have been part of our lives for too long to remember, but this is always a much anticipated and guaranteed great night for us—many special memories over the years, but the Virus 15th Birthday was extra incredible. The club is cutting-edge, but as always, it's the Amsterdam crowd that really makes it something else.

4. Bladerunnaz @ Durlin (Budapest, Hungary)There is a huge list of incredible d&b nights all over eastern Europe. Nnot to forget Let-It-Roll (it's a festival so doesn't make it into this list), but one that is consistently awesome is Bladerunnaz. Thecrowd at their events are totally hyped, and the energy is always immense and in-your-face.

5. Noisia Invites (Groeningen, Holland)The hometown of one of our favorite production teams and all around musical artists—Noisia puts on a night like no other. The crowd is very well versed in all areas of drum & bass, but what makes it something else is the ridiculous mosh-pit-going-off madness from the crowd. The only place we have ever had the "Wall Of Death" at a gig!

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-ed-rush-optical/feed/04DSOUND Unveils a New 24-hour Programme Called Circadianhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/4dsound-unveils-a-new-24-hour-programme-called-circadian/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/4dsound-unveils-a-new-24-hour-programme-called-circadian/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 10:39:55 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97570Premiering at TodaysArt 2015, the festival for contemporary art and music in The Hague, Netherlands, 4DSOUND Circadian will present a 24-hour programme that will investigate how spacial sound influences our states of consciousness by exploring new ways to physically connect the listener with the surrounding space. It is inspired by the circadian rhythms that govern our wake-sleep cycle and will take place from September 24 to 27, 2015.

The collective seeks to embody the range of conscious states of the listener throughout the day, encouraging heightened awareness of environment, mind-body connection, personal insight, creative expression, empathic sensitivity and social interaction.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/4dsound-unveils-a-new-24-hour-programme-called-circadian/feed/0Premiere: Hear "Eleven" by Locked Groove from New Various Artists Compilation on Life and Deathhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-hear-eleven-by-locked-groove-from-new-various-artists-compilation-on-life-and-death/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-hear-eleven-by-locked-groove-from-new-various-artists-compilation-on-life-and-death/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 09:48:33 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97840As mentioned last week, the Life and Death imprint have announced a new Various Artists EP with tracks from Scuba, Locked Groove, Sei A and Alex.Do.

Ahead of the EP's August 3 release date, the stunning "Eleven" by Locked Groove can be streamed in full below.

Operating in the deep and trippy style the duo are known for, the EP is full of organic soundscapes, moody synth work, and heavy, rolling low-ends. The hypnotic four-tracker also features collaborations with fellow LA artist Jon Charnis, who applies his touch to "Affirmation," and the one in question here with Kindisch label head, Mia Lucci, who joins Dance Spirit for closing track, "Intention." Driven along by otherworldy sound design and tight drum-machine rhythms, "Intention" closes the EP with the trio applying beautiful atmospherics and tension-filled synth work across its 10-minute run.

You can stream "Intention" in full below, with the full EP arriving on August 4.

A powerhouse who needs little introduction, Kim Ann Foxman’s divergent path from Hercules & Love Affair has proven to be creatively fulfilling and professionally fruitful. Years after closing the nu-disco chapter of her life, Foxman has manifested her own mellifluous journey, and is staking a claim for herself in the music scene as DJ, producer, and label owner. Her highly sought-after sets, continuous creative collaborations and array of vinyl releases has her on everyone’s radar... again. Prior to her set at YAAASSS, we crossed paths with Foxman at The Well—a creative space connecting the Los Angeles demiurgic demographic—to discuss her aesthetic and philosophy on mixes.

When you meet Foxman, it’s hard not to be enchanted by her effortlessly edgy style and boyishly handsome looks—but it was her soft-spoken voice, laugh, and quirkiness that set the stage for an engaging evening. Sporting the “androgynous with an edge” look, Foxman’s urban street style was accented by her notable, neoteric bob. As a former hairstylist, I couldn’t refrain from asking her about her hair. “My best friend has been cutting my hair for over 16 years, non-stop, she explains. “Her name is Holli Smith, she is really amazing, and does mostly editorials and fashion shows. She’s major and I just happen to be the lucky best friend. She knows me so well, and I never ask her for a style. I always sit down and let her do whatever she wants, it has always been that way. I trust anything she does, even if she left only one hair on my head, I'd wear it with confidence! It feels good for me to have something with some edge. If I have a cool haircut, I feel good, whether it’s messy or not. It has become a big part of me. It may not be for everyone but that's the whole reason why I love it so much."

Foxman’s urbane personal style is largely reflective of her years of living in New York, yet her music remains deeply influenced by her earlier and formative days in San Francisco. She attributes much of her musical influence to that identifying era and “sound as part of my vibe and the heart of my sets.” Drawing on her eclectic taste in music, she builds sets with a heavy dose of house, mixed with jacking acid, techno, jacking, and rave jams.

Since birthing her baby, Firehouse Recordings, with baby-making partner, the Vinyl Factory, Foxman largely focuses her time and energy into her label, turning the creative outlet into a labor of love. “I love being able to release things on my own schedule and not having to wait a zillion years on another label for my turn. I like to be in creative control and the artwork aspect makes it really enjoyable for me. Firehouse has been a really fun project, and The Vinyl Factory has been nothing but an amazing label partner. When it’s all done, I get to hold my beautiful heavyweight vinyl baby in my hands.”

Euphonic exploration is often rewarded by the discovery of “hidden gems,” yielding an instant gratification for collectors as they are added to a repertoire of rare records. In order to preserve the sacred nature of her findings, Foxman has developed a system to keep them concealed from the uninitiated. "I get pleasure out of watching people trying to train-spot when I've coded my record rips in my own language that only I can understand. If it's available online in digital format, I don't mind letting someone know—but if it's a record that took me 20 years to figure out what it is, then I'm gonna hold onto it a lot tighter, of course. Everything is so accessible now—I think mystery is sexy."

To conclude the evening we learned about her philosophy of mixes and the importance of her track selection. “I like to space them out and try to pick and choose them wisely,” she says. " I always include some secret weapons that have value to me. Gems are hard to come by, and I love to share them with the dance floor in the moment and get that live feedback. I feel like it's hard enough to pick out the diamonds when there is such an over saturation of mediocre stuff in the market. Every song counts in a mix. I don't play filler tracks.”

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/the-factory-kim-ann-foxman/feed/1Count Counsellor "AKidOutThere"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/count-counsellor-akidoutthere/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/count-counsellor-akidoutthere/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 20:35:56 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97639Quality Time Recordings is a new LA-based imprint that kicked off its catalogue last week with London-based artist Count Counsellor's debut EP, & The Childhood Heroes—which was co-produced and co-written with Fred, Red Bull Music Academy alumnus and one half of the Brian Eno- approved duo Sylas. The four-track EP was inspired by Count's childhood, "the moments that shaped him and the heroes who elevated him." This childhood wonderment is ever apparent in closing cut, "AKidOutThere." Opening with an undeniable nostalgic feel, the track floats through whispered field recordings, organic textures, and pensive vocals, unpinned by a thick, gurgling bassline and with colorful synths riding up top. "AKidOutThere" can be grabbed for free below, with the full EP available here.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/count-counsellor-akidoutthere/feed/0XLR8R Announces New XLR8R TV and Launches The Factoryhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/xlr8r-announces-new-xlr8r-tv-and-launches-the-factory/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/xlr8r-announces-new-xlr8r-tv-and-launches-the-factory/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 16:00:58 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97533For over 22 years, the XLR8R brand has been synonymous with nonstop, ear-to-the-underground electronic-music news. The name is tied to an uncompromised history of quality artistic output, from the long-standing print magazine and its iconic design to the present day online platform. In December, the San Francisco-based company debuted its brand-new website, and officially moved its offices from San Francisco to the recently burgeoning Los Angeles Arts District. With a new home base and a freshly updated website, the XLR8R team has been hard at work to bring its readers the latest in music news, and create feature content that the electronic music world needs.

XLR8R is proud to announce its two new additions: XLR8R TV and The Factory.

Kicking off with our forthcoming documentary film on MUTEK Montreal, the new XLR8R TV will be documenting and showcasing forward-thinking festivals, events, artists, and studio gear, as well as premiering music videos and highlight performances within the XLR8R universe. 'All Access: MUTEK' will be launched Thursday, July 30, with more stand-alone artist features, gear reviews, and music news arriving on XLR8R TV shortly thereafter.

Additionally, XLR8R will be launching The Factory, an editorial series exploring how music influences artistic expression. The Factory will highlight prominent artists, designers, festivals, producers, and others, discussing the relationship of music and how it permeates into the aesthetic of their work.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/xlr8r-announces-new-xlr8r-tv-and-launches-the-factory/feed/2Q&A: Inner8http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-inner8/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-inner8/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 13:00:46 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97488Inner8 is the solo project of Daniele Antezza, the Berlin-based, Italian-born producer who is best recognized for his work alongside Giovanni Conti. The pair run the Artefacts Mastering studio together, and also produce their own brand of dub techno under the Dadub moniker, a key component of Lucy’s Stroboscopic Artefacts imprint.

Born in 2007 as a stamp for the more experimental sounds that Antezza was composing at the time, the Inner8 project has evolved to become an essential channel for his self-expression—a tool to release the emotions that he holds deep within. His self-titled album—a beautiful 12-tracker—is his first release barring a couple of tracks around the project’s origination, and was made available just last week on Undogmatisch, an art collective–music label he co-runs alongside Mirco Magnani (a.k.a. T.C.O.) and Valentina Bardazzi.

Following the album’s release this week, and in anticipation of the Inner8 live show, XLR8R sat down with Antezza to investigate his improvised production processes, the sociopolitical inspirations behind the release and his visions for the future growth of the Undogmatisch imprint, the Inner8 project and the live show.

Where do your earliest musical origins lie?Music has always been part of my life because my family has always had a passion for it. My first ever connection with musical instruments was when I was around ten years old. I studied piano, but the school I attended was not one that I liked, so I actually found that period very difficult. Their fascist way of teaching music became a nightmare for me. I didn’t actually start playing again until I was about 14—I began playing rock and then metal, playing bass guitar and keyboards. At 16 I started playing drums and then percussion until I was about 23. At 23 I was struck by this profound love for electronic music and my productions started at about 25 years old, using software only. I was studying economics at the time so it was nothing more than a hobby.

A move to Rome was inspired by a desire to develop my knowledge of electronic music—to study it and understand why it works. I started Dadub as a dub-ambient project in 2008 with a release on the label A Quiet Bump before I moved to Berlin in 2009. Giovanni had been drawn to Berlin to work on an interactive digital arts project, and when we met, Dadub became a two-man project.

What was behind the move to Berlin?Berlin always felt like the best place for me to develop my music and my artistic personality. It is still one of the most liberal places around the globe. It was the perfect place to test my skills, because London and other places were too business-orientated, so they didn’t allow me to develop artistically.

From the outside, it seems that music has always had this special meaning for you—far deeper than just something you enjoy. Would you agree with that?Yes. Music has, and always will have, a very deep meaning for me. Making music allows me to survive from a psychological point of view; there is absolutely no other option for me. It keeps me alive, and at a certain stage I just realized that I had to make it my life.

Your debut album as Inner8 was released just this week. How are you feeling about it?I am super excited. I have invested so much time and money into it, so it feels like the start of a really great adventure. I am curious to see how the projects will work—not only Inner8, but also Undogmatisch. How will people interpret these projects?

In 2008, when you were producing as Dadub, you also were making sketches as Inner8. How did you distinguish between the two?Dadub was always related to my passion for sound engineering. It was a very defined project with a very precise intention. Inner8 at the time was the opposite: there were no goals besides just having fun and experimenting with different sounds.

At what point did you decide you wanted to take the Inner8 project further?I think the change came in 2014—very recently actually. It happened because in the moments after You Are Eternity, the album with Dadub, Giovanni and I started to explore new paths of sound design because we didn’t want to reproduce the sounds we had already been making. During this process of looking for new sounds and textures, I found out that I had these tracks, but they weren’t properly Dadub tracks, and so I realized it might be a good idea to give a good identity to the project. I also wanted a new way to express myself live, which is something that is really important for me. Having Dadub and Inner8 is perfect for me because I can express myself in so many ways.

Is it true that the album features loops that were made as far back as 2008?I did use loops produced many years ago, but the process I used to treat the sounds is common and has been done far more recently. My decision to limit the album to 12 tracks came because I was listening to these loops and I realized there are currents behind each one. I then worked hard to create a system to harness all these currents using a number of feedback-generation techniques.

So how long did it actually take to put together?It’s hard to put a timescale on it because I had to change studios, so I had to arrange the acoustic treatment of the rooms. But in total I would say it took about one year. I spent time collecting the material, and then I needed a lot of time to arrange the tracks, because I had to process them all through the same sound design techniques. The post-production was also very time consuming, because I did all the mastering and post-production myself. Fortunately I had some help from some friends who are sound engineers, like Federico Nitti (a.k.a. sYn) and Giovanni, which helped a lot. I think the post-production alone took about six months.

Did you actually have an intention to create an album, or did it just materialize?I did not plan to produce a debut album. I just had lots of material and it just formed an album over time. To begin with, the Inner8 moniker was just the signature I used for these sonic experiments. I had no intention to release anything; I was just experimenting with sound design, and collaborating with an Italian label called Farmacia 901, the imprint run by my friend Fabio Perletta. As Inner8, I released two tracks on Farmacia 901 before Undogmatisch.
But in the future I think it is going to be different. I am already working on new tracks for Inner8 and I know it is going to be an album. It has gradually become more organic. All my sound design processes have changed. For me, this debut Inner8 album is part of my transition to my personal vision of sound and performing.

Photo: Ale in Wonderland

How does producing as a solo artist compare with working as a duo with Giovanni in Dadub?It is a different dimension because you are dealing just with yourself. Sometimes it is more difficult, because the beautiful thing about working with another person is that you have feedback all the time, which allows you to grow. When you are alone you have to be just with yourself, but this keeps your ideas closer to what you want. This is another one of the reasons why having both Dadub and Inner8 is one of the best things for me now.

Where does the name Inner8 come from?It is strictly linked to the idea of infinity. It comes from my fascination with looping and self-generating sounds, but it also reflects my philosophical view: in my opinion, we can see ourselves as a whole set of structures, which means we can observe the same structures from the quantic to a macro level. This is similar to fractal geometry, and it's something that shows how we as human beings are used to behaving in a certain way and reproduce certain kind of structures and mechanisms within the society.

Sometimes there are kinds of actions in art and culture which are the exact opposite of the issue itself. So the main thought for Inner8 was, if I think about certain kinds of structures, why do I tend to use and reproduce their exact opposite? This question inspired me to investigate the idea and discover that a huge part of our actions are just preprogrammed to achieve an aim that it is far away from what the system tries to tell us. I see it as a process of liberation.

Let’s discuss the artwork for the album. I understand this was done by Valentina Bardazzi, your partner at Undogmatisch?Valentina is responsible for all the artwork at Undogmatisch. In my opinion, she has truly captured the aesthetic identity of the label. When we ask her to make a flyer or whatever, she has visions. For the artwork, she literally translates what she sees in these visions. I find it extremely beautiful. Referring to my album, she took the tracks and she gave her own personal visual interpretation. She’s a true visionary artist. For my new collaboration with Mirco, however, she sits in and draws when we are recording and listens to the music. I think this is important because it keeps the visions fresh. I want the music and the artwork to grow together. With my album the music was recorded first and then the artwork.

Moving forward with Inner8, I’m working with Valentina and Federico Nitti to keep the visual aspect close to the production process. I want to inspire the visual and get inspired by it. I'd like to avoid working on the visual content only after the sounds are made.

"Routing the signal flow is the same thing as creating a thought."

Inner8 sounds like little else out there and is quite unique. How do you go about creating such a singular style?I spend a lot of time silently observing my setup, just focusing on the techniques I use to make the sound. For me, routing the signal flow is the same thing as creating a thought, and I prefer to be silent instead of saying meaningless words or just reproducing something thought by somebody else. After that, it is really just experiments, and often the results are completely different to the sounds that I actually intend to make.

However, having a personal signal-flow engine ensures that I create unique textures. I always try to keep a totally organic way when I build my sound design architecture, so while the framework is well designed, I am also free to improvise. It gives a unique touch to the result, because when you don’t think too much about how the different sounds should be interconnected between currents, then you can achieve textures that are completely unique. If you base your mental setup on something that is thought up by somebody else, then your sound will be similar to all the others.

Do you ever have sketches in your head when you go in the studio or is it complete improvisation within this framework?

Almost all of the time it is just improvisation. It does happen sometimes where I have a firm vision in my head but this is very rare. I do not think it is good to plan too much. My role is not to give rules to sound. I need just to express my deepest emotions, and that's why I like to use the term anarchist for this creation process.

Has the sound evolved from when you first started working on Inner8 material in 2007?Yes, definitely. At that time I was very focused on studying music and had a very nerdy approach, so I was very focused on the techniques. Now I think it is slightly different; the technical side is reserved for the postproduction, and for when I study the technical details of the gear I need to use. All the rest is pure instinct and improvisation, so the sounds I make now are more artistic.

Do you ever wonder why you produce this sound?I've thought about this topic a lot, but I still have no answers. I was once reading this really beautiful interview with Autechre, and Sean was being asked about their composition techniques. The answer was this: “Have you ever asked a kid why he is climbing a tree?” I have to be very careful not to open up my rational side too much when I am working. When I feel that a sound is ready it is because it has something to say, and I know even though I am not thinking about it. Making music must not be a conscious thing. I must just be in the moment. The rational side represents just a small part of our brain and. in my opinion, it is not the main tool during an artistic process.

"We all talk about love and respect, but practically everything is based on sophisticated forms of violence. It’s a big paradox, isn't it?"

An album is a big thing for an artist. It’s more than just an EP; it’s a statement. What do you want to communicate with the album? Is there a particular message that you’re trying to get across?I agree regarding your description of an album as statement, even though I perceive this album as a transition because the idea of sound I have in mind needs still to mature. Talking on a more abstract level, the main message for the album is that the humans should start to seriously consider their practical actions, without forgetting the theoretical purposes, that are often exactly the opposite of the result of our actions. For example, we all talk about love and respect, but practically everything is based on sophisticated forms of violence. It’s a big paradox, isn't it? If we continue to get stuck on it we will be never able to radically change the status quo.

A major motivation behind the album was your fascination with paradoxes. Can you elaborate on that?In truth, this isn't exactly the major motivation of my album composition, but it is the main conceptual framework that led me to give a theoretical organicity to my work. The research of paradoxes is one of the approaches I like because it reveals how a system—political, social, cultural and so on—can be really distant from its theoretical status. If we want to analyze something we find fake or hypocritical, we just need to show the conceptual paradox of it. If we want to translate this approach in sound design, I can say that it is exactly the reason why I am endlessly researching for unique textures. I mean, if we act in an underground and alternative domain, I do not see the point to reproduce the paradox to use standardized techniques. Standards are just useful to managers and market—but art does not need that.

You previously released on Farmacia 901, but why did you decide to start your own label, Undogmatisch, to release this material?The motivation behind the label was related to an idea I have for artistic production. I want to keep part of my production a little bit detached from market rules and timing, so creating my own label makes me feel less controlled by other people’s schedules. Managing my own label also gives me the opportunity to experiment with my own ideas of organization—mainly based on the concept of horizontal relationships rather than vertical hierarchy—through alternative decision processes with my collaborators, or by writing contracts in a bit different way than the usual ones. These are just examples. In this way, if I always have a room where I can have my toys, I can play around with them and then when I find good ideas I have the possibility of doing something with them, but without the pressure. With Inner8, this aspect has been extremely important—having my own label gives me the possibility of achieving a more professional level for my productions.

Your partners, Mirco and Valentina, were running Undogmatisch as an event series before it became a label, right?Undogmatisch was founded by Mirco and Valentina. Their first Undogmatisch event was about three years ago, and then I met them at the third edition of the event. I was really impressed because, besides the party itself, they had a really big art exhibition and there was a beautiful aesthetic behind all this. They are both very talented, experienced artists, and so we started to collaborate for the events.

At the time when the events started to do really well, we realized that we were surrounded by some extremely skilled people so we just started to evolve Undogmatisch into a platform for artists. We have plans to have Undogmatisch showcases outside of Berlin, and we are going to have some Undogmatisch residents apart from Mirco, Valentina and I, like Federico Nitti, Justinas Mikulskis (a.k.a. S13), the writer Thomas Bey Williams Bailey, and the photographer Kiril Bikov. It’s a label-platform that we hope is going to grow with more and more artists.

Photo: Ale in Wonderland

And as for the music-label side, do you envisage taking other artists on?Yes, that is certainly the plan. I am currently looking to develop a core roster of artists. At the moment it is myself and Mirco, and as a collaboration we have plans to release our own album on the label. I believe sYn, who also does the visuals for Inner8, will be releasing too. It is very important that all the artists on the roster have a common vision and this is something I am looking at developing.

I can also confirm the first Limited Undogmatisch release in November or December which will be a collaboration with T.C.O. It's also an experiment we're making with our artwork curator, Valentina. We're composing music while she draws, and from that we get inspiration for our jam sessions. The artwork will be very special.

It seems far more like an art collective than just a music label.That’s true. Besides music, it covers events and other art forms. It is a lot more than just music.

How do you intend to balance all the projects going forward, especially with the label now too?For me, managing all these things is like planting seeds. If these seeds grow then somebody else is going to take care of it. I am a musician, and of course I want to build something that is mine and that can inspire people—but if these things grow, then somebody else will have to take care of them. My input will always be there but it is not my aim to be a label manager.

How do you perceive the Inner8 project working alongside Dadub?Dadub and Inner8 are parallel. Dadub has its own identity; it is a really special project. It is something that is not going to end anytime soon. To make the project grow, we need time, and during that time I can work on Inner8. At any one time I will be working on one of the projects and, by doing this, I will be richer and refreshed in thoughts because I have let the project breathe a little bit. If I am not greedy, then I think I can manage both projects.

You said that you've already started working on a second Inner8 album. How much progress have you made?I plan to release the new album middle or late 2016. I’ve also decided to move Inner8 into the techno scene, so I'm also at work on two EPs. Regarding the album, I already have about six or seven basic track structures, but I have frozen the project for now. I don’t want to overwork on it, because I am afraid of it losing the Inner8 identity. So for now I am working more on the collaboration with Mirco, and also a more dancefloor-orientated EP. I need to keep my ideas fresh, which is definitely true right now—but I know that wont be the case forever.

"I really like to think about how I want to perceive the sound, like on a rational and emotional level."

Do you have a particular vision behind the second album, similar to that of paradoxes with the first album?I really like to think about how I want to perceive the sound, like on a rational and emotional level. The first album talks mainly to a rational dimension—even if composed from not only my rational side—and that is why I have used contemporary philosophy. I have used rational drum patterns: they are well ordered—4, 8, etc. But this time, with the second album, I am pushing more into the spiritual domain. It is going to be a little bit more inspired by other sources, like shamanism and so on.

Earlier, you mentioned a joint project with Mirco. What’s the name of the project, and how did it come about?The moniker is just Inner8 + T.C.O—it’s that simple. We decided to develop the collaboration after we produced the track “Ataraxia” on the Inner8 album. In making the track, we found out that we had actually made some really exciting loops and so Mirco started to give currents and orders to these loops, and then I started to process them with my feedback system and through my sound design techniques. The project is entirely improvised using a clarinet, the main instrument played by Mirco. So far we have no concept or anything—we are just playing around, but we do wish to take the project further.

You've been developing a live Inner8 set. What are your expectations for it?The proper Inner8 live set is audio-visual, and my goal is to grow it as much as possible. My idea is to create a live show, which is a proper experience for the listeners, through the synesthetic approach I'm developing with sYn. As a live act, it is a lot more improvised than the Dadub live show. I don’t use a lot of software because I want something more physical. I am working to develop the technical and performative side of it, and sYn is digging more and more to give a proper visual identity to it, with the aim to develop the complexities of the performance. It is not as hard as it seems, because we love to improvise and create using our technical skills.

The live show is the best way for me to express the feelings that I have when I produce and think about my music. The aim is to really create a connection with the crowd and share these emotions with them. I think that by engaging with the crowd, I can connect on a deeper level. I think also that the live act is a great way of testing my music. By playing it in front of a crowd, I can see whether a sound works or not—or the opposite, of course.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/qa-inner8/feed/0Hear Stunning Mark Fell Remix of "Oktavist" from Lakker Tundra Remix Collectionhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/hear-stunning-marc-fell-remix-of-oktavist-from-lakker-tundra-remix-collection/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/hear-stunning-marc-fell-remix-of-oktavist-from-lakker-tundra-remix-collection/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 12:34:51 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97571Scheduled for August 14 release, the Lakker Tundra remix collection features a group of very talented producers bringing us their personal interpretations of the original album tracks.

Ahead of the album's August release, Mark Fell’s amazing reductive version of "Oktavist" can be streamed in full below.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/hear-stunning-marc-fell-remix-of-oktavist-from-lakker-tundra-remix-collection/feed/0L.I.E.S. Readies Album from ADMX-71http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/l-i-e-s-readies-album-from-admx-71/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/l-i-e-s-readies-album-from-admx-71/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 11:51:49 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97561New York techno veteran and Sonic Groove label head Adam X (a.k.a. Adam Mitchell) returns to L.I.E.S. this fall as ADMX-71 with the Coherent Abstractions LP. According to a press release, the forthcoming album traverses "breakbeat noir, anxious electronic dub [and] reflective industrial modes," in keeping with the more experimental profile of Mitchell's ADMX-71 project. (He appeared under the alias on L.I.E.S. last year as well, on the Redacted Files EP.) Resident Advisor reports that Mitchell also incorporates vocals into a handful of tracks, notably delivering a "frantic vocal performance" on LP cut "Nearing Obliteration."

Coherent Abstractions will see an official release on October 15. Opener "Virtuality Continuum" is streaming here, and the record's artwork and complete tracklist have been posted below.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/l-i-e-s-readies-album-from-admx-71/feed/0Slow Riffs Next Up on Mood Huthttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/slow-riffs-next-up-on-mood-hut/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/slow-riffs-next-up-on-mood-hut/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 10:15:04 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97552Vancouver collective and label Mood Hut has unveiled details of its tenth release: Slow Riff's Gong Bath / Virgo Dub / Peace Arch EP. The producer born Ian Wyatt made an ambient cassette for the imprint back in 2013, and played with Pender Street Steppers' Jack Jutson and Liam Butler as No Gold. Elsewhere, he's appeared as Local Artist on Rhythm Section International and Anthony Naples' Proibito imprint. No official release date has been shared as of yet for the upcoming 12", which the label recommends "for healing use only," but clips from all three tracks can be previewed below. (via Resident Advisor)

A Gong Bath
B1 Virgo Dub
B2 Peace Arch

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/slow-riffs-next-up-on-mood-hut/feed/0Koloto "Kill Screen (Ekoda Map Remix)"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/koloto-kill-screen-ekoda-map-remix/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/koloto-kill-screen-ekoda-map-remix/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 00:19:49 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97501Electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist Koloto released the Mechanica EP via Abandon Building towards the end of last year, with Alpha Pup affiliate Dot's remix of the title track getting a feature in XLR8R's downloads section around the same time. Now, EP cut "Kill Screen" gets the rework treatment from UK artist Ekoda Map. Keeping true to the original's hauntingly beautiful quality, Ekoda Map winds together tight layers of skipping percussion and swirling synth tones to create a grandiose slab of sonics. Ahead of Ekoda Map's forthcoming EP, Fathers and Sons, which is slated for release late August, you can grab his remix of "Kill Screen" for free below.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/koloto-kill-screen-ekoda-map-remix/feed/0Alpha Recording System Tease MODEL 9000 Rotary Mixerhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/alpha-recording-system-tease-model-9000/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/alpha-recording-system-tease-model-9000/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 23:03:33 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97495Following on from the news of the feature-rich ARS MODEL 6700, Alpha Recording System has teased out a new "table top DJ mixer," the ARS MODEL 9000.

Alpha Recording System shared a photo gallery on its Facebook page stating that the ARS MODEL 9000 is a Japanese made, all-hand-crafted DJ mixer. The unit features four channels, each with a three-band isolator and send/return for effects, as well as an overall master isolator and master and booth levels.

No price has been set yet but Alpha Recording System has stated it will announce that next month. You can check out more photos over at Alpha Recording System's Facebook page.

If you are looking for a mature, no-nonsense direction when it comes house and techno, you don't have to look any further than Nick Höppner and his debut full-length that dropped on Ostgut Ton earlier this year. The album truly shows the technical scope of Höppner as a producer, and we are thrilled to announce a stellar list of artists for the remixes. As for The Black Madonna, this will be the first production by the Smart Bar Music Director—and regular Panorama Bar fixture—to come out on Ostgut Ton. There are no preview clips for the release as yet.

You can listen to some of the original tracks below, and you can check out more about Nick Höppner over on the Ostgut website.

The sprawling three-tracker finds the Sheik 'N' Beik party mainstay pushing a trippy, minimalistic sound, perfectly fitting in with Sheik 'N' Beik's aesthetic. Produced with a mixture of hardware, software, and modular gear, the release kicks off with the funky, understated groove of "Under Aqua," before sliding into the wonky title cut and its sci-fi-like synth phrases and almost unrecognizable vocal lines. The release has a fluid and natural progression running throughout, with low-slung cut "Drum Morphing" beautifully rounding things out with its drum-machine rhythm and icy pads.

Ahead of the release later this week, you can stream Down To Art in full via the player below.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-jeffrey-scotts-new-ep-on-sheik-n-beik/feed/1DANGERDOOM Vinyl Re-issue Now Availablehttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dangerdoom-vinyl-re-issue-now-available/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dangerdoom-vinyl-re-issue-now-available/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 14:53:41 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97463It's been almost ten years since the initial release of The Mask and The Mouse by Danger Mouse and MF DOOM—dropped back on October 10, 2005—and for the hip-hop heads who have been searching for a nice used copy on discogs, the wait for a vinyl re-issue is finally over. You can now purchase a brand new copy of the record over at the Bleep.com web store.

The album is composed almost entirely of raps by MF DOOM, performed over beats created by Danger Mouse sampling music from various television shows airing on Cartoon Network's, Adult Swim, with their shared vision spread across 16 different tracks. The cover sleeve features a brand new Rorschach-esque design, and you can now purchase the album in multiple formats, such as double LP, CD, and lossless digital audio formats.

Head over to the Bleep.com website where you can order the vinyl before it sells out, and check out the Lex Records website for more information.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dangerdoom-vinyl-re-issue-now-available/feed/0XLR8R Podcast 397: Function - Decibel 2015 Festival Editionhttp://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/07/xlr8r-podcast-3976-function-decibel-2015-festival-edition/
http://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/07/xlr8r-podcast-3976-function-decibel-2015-festival-edition/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 13:56:14 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97363Dave Sumner, the techno DJ and producer better known as Function, grew up in Carnarsie, Brooklyn, across the street from a swim club that hosted dance parties in the late '70s and early '80s. From his backyard, he was exposed to the likes of Arthur Baker, John Robie, Kraftwerk and Man Parrish, beginning an intense love affair with synthetically-created music, and from there, the seeds of a career—an extremely impressive career, with a discography that's helped to define the serious-minded end of the techno spectrum—were sown. It would take a few thousand words to give you his full bio (there's something of a real-life "I was there" edge to his two-decade-plus trajectory) but suffice to say that it's one that takes in NYC's Limelight club, his own Infrastructure label, a move to Berlin, a tumultuous stint as a core member of the Sandwell District collective, Berghain and its associated Ostgut Ton imprint, among many other things. (Phew!) Along the way, he's crafted a crateful of starkly emotive records, including a pair of acclaimed albums, 2013's Incubation (on Ostgut Ton) and last year's Games Have Rules, produced with Vatican Shadow and released on Hospital Productions.

Nowadays, Sumner doesn't play in the States all that often—but if you caught the upcoming Decibel festival's recent announcement, you got the good news that the fest's top-tier lineup includes Function among its names. As the festival approaches, XLR8R is lucky enough to present this exclusive Function mix. Comprised entirely of tracks that Sumner's had a hand in—whether via production or remixing—and with tracks dating from 1996 ("F3") to the present day (his version of Abstract Division's "Metropolis"), the music is rigorous and the vibe is moody, with stretches of dark-hued contemplation shot through with moments of joyful transcendence. And, we might add, it's utterly gorgeous. (Please note: Due to licensing restrictions, U.S. listeners will need to download this podcast.)

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/scissor-thread-drops-new-tailored-cuts-vol-2-compilation/feed/0Sian "Post Empire"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/sian-post-empire/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/sian-post-empire/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 22:40:29 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97373Following on from the release of his Medicine Man EP, Octopus Recordings label head, Sian, will release his latest LP, Anthracite, on August 3. The LP was composed with a collection of Moog Synths, a Korg MS-20, and an array of outboard effects, creating a 23-track, immersive techno journey. In support of the album, Sian has offered up exclusive cut "Post Empire," a rolling, dancefloor-focused slice of techno with an ominous flavor; crisp drum-machine rhythms and metallic synth stabs roll around on top of a floor-shaking bassline and chest-pounding kicks. You can download "Post Empire" for free below, with Anthracite available for purchase here on August 3.

Based on Carl Sagan's famed Voyager Golden Record—a collection of tracks selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth and sent into space on the Voyager II space probe—the Stellar Records Armory and Strategic Sound Center will be celebrated with an all day in-store party on Saturday August 1, featuring a host of Halcyon friends and family, plus special surprise guests and instore only discounts. The new store will also kick off halcyon's "Close Encounters," a new weekly DJ session on Wednesday evenings featuring the top local Brooklyn DJs and spotlights on labels distributed by Halcyon.

Check out the updated halcyon website here, with the official statement from halcyon below.

Etched onto the LP's surface was a galactic map revealing Earth's location in the cosmos; a fateful invitation. Sagan proclaimed that the odds of the golden record actually being discovered are infinitesimal, but one day a beat-thirsty master race of intergalactic crate diggers may yet descend on Earth...

One force stands ready to defend the planet. Its mission: arm Earth’s DJs with stellar records at any cost.

halcyon… for humanity!

DJs - don’t be caught unarmed! Visit the new halcyon Stellar Records Armory and Strategic Audio Center opening Saturday Aug 1 at 395 Wythe Avenue next to TBA, or learn more about how you can defend the planet at halcyontheshop.com

The Bravarian producer personally announced the news on Saturday when he posted a screen shot of his computer with the tracklist from iTunes on the Recondite Facebook page. Later on, when a fan commented on a release date, Brunner replied that the album would be out in late October. Another great piece of news is that we can now confirm a Tale Of Us feature on the song "Sequenze". Check out the tracklist below, and we will keep an eye out for pre-order information as it comes in.

You can catch Recondite in the USA this September as he headlines the Lucid Dream showcase just announced as part of the full lineup of Decibel 2015.

However, it's the stellar remixes on Low Toro that offer the most reward, with Pattern Drama taking on the first rerub of "Everything." Keeping the eerie atmospherics firmly in check, he goes for a slower electro-boogie workout, with popping percussion laid atop wide slabs of sub bass and resonating till the drop, amounting to a wholly original, captivating remix that adds a new level of sheen to the original. Finally, there's Finley's take on the track. His murkier reinterpretation works 808 pressure and percussion into a woozy, off-kilter and fluctuating techno rhythm. It ducks, dives and shifts from note to note, while layer upon layer of percussive nuances fill in the gaps between beats as the track progresses.

Dance music’s current shift from the confines of uniform "deep house" into the world of tech- and progressive modes is gaining pace faster than a download time for a VST plug-in—and Superfreq's focus on the hazy fringes of the dancefloor continues to be a welcome addition to the landscape.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/2015/07/david-scuba-low-toro-ep/feed/0Physical Therapy and Michael Magnan Collaborate as Fatherhoodhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/physical-therapy-and-michael-magnan-collaborate-as-fatherhood/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/physical-therapy-and-michael-magnan-collaborate-as-fatherhood/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:15:27 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97324Berlin expat Physical Therapy has teamed up with NYC-based friend and occasional collaborator Michael Magnan on a new EP as Fatherhood. Origami Sound imprint Clubwerks reportedly stumbled onto some of their joint tracks while trawling through SoundCloud a few years ago—specifically an edit of "Hide You"—and suggested they prep a release. The forthcoming Child Support EP comprises two originals: "Loleatta on Acid," a "wonky acid track" with a spoken-word sample, and skewed techno track "The Yes Man." Solo efforts from both producers also feature. The EP lands on August 18—preview it below.

The event marks the duo's first visit to Los Angeles in seven years, and XLR8R has two sizzling hot tickets to give away.

To enter for a chance to win the pair of tickets, enter your email below. Terms and Conditions apply.

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The rules of the competition and the prize for each winner are as follows:

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Prize is for 2 tickets to Autechre at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, California, USA, on October 15th.

Winning tickets are non-transferrable and cannot be sold. Valid ID must be presented.

Prize does not include transportation or accommodations, entry only.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/competition-win-two-tickets-to-autechre-in-los-angeles/feed/0DVA Returns to Hyperdub, Shares Videohttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dva-returns-to-hyperdub/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dva-returns-to-hyperdub/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 14:55:54 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97316After a brief hiatus, DVA is back on Hyperdub with the Allayallrecords EP. Described in a press release as "a stripped-back and vivid suite, using unusual spaces and loose arrangements so as to emphasize sharp rhythmic angles," it features collaborations with footwork manipulator Addison Groove, Swamp81 fixture Mickey Pearce, and Clara La San. 150 copies of Allayallrecords, pressed onto clear 10" vinyl with locked grooves, will become available on July 29, with a digital release to follow a month later. For the time being, preview the EP's opening cut below, where a complete tracklist is also on view.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/dva-returns-to-hyperdub/feed/0Charivari Detroit, Then and Nowhttp://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/charivari-detroit-then-and-now/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/charivari-detroit-then-and-now/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 13:00:35 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97188It’s no coincidence that one of the first ever techno tracks shares a name—although not the spelling—with party brand Charivari Detroit. Event organizer and original Charivari Detroit brand promoter Todd Johnson explains, “[A Number of Names] had approached some of the guys in [Charivari] as far as seeing if it was okay. And nobody had a problem with it. Nobody even understood, like, making records back then. It was pretty much just some kids throwing parties. So it was more of a feeling honored thing than it was like someone was trying to co-opt your name.” Released in 1981, the first time he heard the track was, appropriately, at a Charivari shindig.

Named after a popular clothing store in New York City and canonized in Dan Sicko’s Techno Rebels, Charivari was a brand of high-school social club that preempted the formation of techno in early-'80s Detroit. Possessing marketing savvy beyond their years and casting a wider promotional net than their rivals, the Charivari brand was one of the more successful social clubs of the pre-techno era. The parties mostly took place in backyards, or spaces like the Y.W.C.A., the Park Avenue Club and the Rooster Tail. Averaging 400 to 500 kids at their parties, Johnson describes it as something out of a Charlie Brown episode, mixed with the mischief of Little Rascals. “Whenever you hear an adult in Charlie Brown it's just wah-wah-wah-wah. Like they didn't really exist. And that's how our parents were—the occasional adults were almost like cardboard cut-outs.It's like, where are the grown-ups? There are no grown-ups here!”

When venues like the Park Avenue Club would provide their own security, the ingenious youngsters would post them at the bottom of the stairs. Multiple floors up and directly outside the party hall, they would have their own hired guy holding things down. “[We were] mimicking what we thought 'being grown' was. You know, there were real clubs. I mean Studio 54 and all the New York stuff was happening then and all that. It was a group of kids being grown-ups,” Johnson explains of their motivation.

The first party Eddie Fowlkes ever attended was one such soirée at the Park Avenue Club. An all-black crowd, Charivari tended to attract kids from more affluent factions of the city. “I call it the black buppy kids. Like polo up. Extreme preppy. That was the scene,” Fowlkes recalls. It wasn’t uncommon for fathers to be judges, lawyers, or members of Motown groups. He paints for us an exuberant picture of a particularly successful backyard bash, during which the core Charivari crew wound up dancing to Devo’s "Whip It" on top of the garage, complete with plastic-tiered hats adorning their heads. “Back then, that was the beginning of blending,” he informs of those early '80s affairs’ musical influence.

“It's like we're all a bunch of Peter Pans, and the party business is like Neverland."

With Fowlkes, Johnson, and many others from Charivari’s original lineups still playing in more or less the same sandbox as they did back then, Johnson suggests, “It's like we're all a bunch of Peter Pans, and the party business is like Neverland. Some people never grow up…I mean look how many 60-year-old DJs are out there still [playing] for 20-year-olds. The music is timeless.”

A scene from last year's Charivari fest.Photo: Courtesy of Todd Johnson

Having revived the Charivari name last August for a free two-day event in Detroit’s Milliken State Park, Johnson tells us, “I have something that I have always felt can exist, and I've never seen it and I've been chasing it for 30 years, 40 years now…I'm still chasing it. I'm chasing—this is gonna be sounding very corny—I'm chasing unity.” Asked whether he thinks it’s actually attainable. “Wow, I sure hope so,” he exhales, with a glimmer in his eye and a grin on his face. “It's kind of like our unicorn.”

His admirable ambitions are evident over the course of the conversation, which leads back to discussions of how to improve Detroit’s electronic-music scene and the ways in which local DJs can capitalize on the now multi-billion-dollar dance music market. “Why are there other DJs around the world making millions of dollars, but these guys still don't have cars?” he demands. “Some of them are still living with their moms! It doesn't make sense to me. We created some of this stuff. But yet, we're the lowest paid.”

Twice in the last year Johnson has organized group photographs with as many of Detroit’s DJs in one shot as he could muster. A simple and no-strings-attached effort to bring them all together, he has cultivated images as iconic as the music spawned by their subjects. “This particular culture, it's going to be extinct if we don't curate a little better and treat it a little better and bring more information,” he says. “I think this has to be treated like jazz and like country, everything. They really cultivate their stuff. And they treat it with reverence, shall we say. We're not treating it with reverence. We're treating it like this is some stupid subculture that just needs to go away.”

After more than thirty years of chasing his elusive unicorn, Johnson says he does it because he “likes the kill.” He goes on, “I like to see a plan come together. It's all about vision to me.” Right now that vision entails 10,000 Detroiters (and visitors) dancing and celebrating together on Belle Isle over the weekend of August 1 and 2—twice as many as are estimated to have attended last year’s inaugural Charivari Detroit.

Father Abraham at last year's Charivari fest.Photo: David Shanaman

The upcoming event boasts the most Detroit DJs ever in one place, and includes multiple “Fallout Shelter” after-parties each night. Similar to last year, it embraces both old guard local legends that have been with Charivari since the early days, like Delano Smith, Al Ester and Fowlkes, as well as newer names like Loren, Aran Daniels and Pontchartrain, and even a few out-of-towners. Free and family-friendly, it’s shaping up to be a fun-filled, no-frills weekend of the utmost electronic acoustics and, dare we say it, an opportunity for true unity in the Motor City.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/charivari-detroit-then-and-now/feed/2Premiere: Stream Track from New Robert Logan LPhttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-track-from-new-robert-logan-lp/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-track-from-new-robert-logan-lp/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 10:41:03 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97298Composer and producer Robert Logan’s first album Cognessence prompted an array of rave reviews and favourable comparisons to some of the giants of electronic music. Still only 19 at the time, he was described as “...something of a prodigy... a man that is already showing a maturity and a musical/textural understanding that many simply never find.” [BBC]. A second album Inscape and a clutch of EP’s garnered yet more praise and cemented his reputation as an artist with immense talent.

Following the success of his recent Extasis EP, his first solo release in five years, Logan now returns with Flesh, his third full-length album that sees him further develop his idiosyncratic sound whilst continuing to open up new possibilities within the field of electronic music. As ever, Logan’s methodology is rooted in an obsessive desire to push the technology at his disposal to the limit – all his sounds are created from scratch or are created by deconstructing found sounds and acoustic instruments through extreme digital processes.

In advance of the album's September 21 release date, "Phrack" can be streamed in full below.

Tracklisting:

01 Spirit Wars

02 Phrack

03 Viker Raver

04 Lenticel

05 Vespine Domain

06 Solanoid

07 Goose Chatter

08 Straighten

09 Dendrite

10 Playground

11 Photovoltaics

12 Cyborg Horn

13 Glad Centipede

14 Transfigure

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-track-from-new-robert-logan-lp/feed/0Watch the Video for Disclosure's Latest Singlehttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/watch-the-video-for-disclosures-latest-single/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/watch-the-video-for-disclosures-latest-single/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 10:12:18 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97295UK duo Disclosure has revealed a video for their latest single, "Omen." Slated for release on August 21, a month ahead of the pair's sophomore full-length Caracal, the track features vocals from Sam Smith, who first teamed up with the brothers on their 2012 breakout single "Latch." The video for "Omen" was directed by Ryan Hope, and is said to continue the storyline introduced in Disclosure's video for "Holding On." Watch it below, and find more complete details of Caracelhere.

The label puts a heavy emphasis on bass-heavy house and techno, and continuing the trend set from its debut EP, Wallwork and RZR's Don't Panic, all 10 tracks presented here trade in a no-nonsense approach to dancefloor-focused beats. From the stripped back, deep melodic house of Tvsi's “Acquaflush,” to Lemonick's wild drum workout "Crash Cove," each track on the compilation is set to do damage on the floor.

Before the release drops next week—which will be available for purchase here—you can stream Luru's raw and heavy steamroller "Grunge Things" in full below, along with a preview of the compilation.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/premiere-stream-a-track-from-nervous-horizons-va-vol-1/feed/0XLR8R Podcast Extra: Moomin B2B Smallpeoplehttp://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/07/xlr8r-moomin-b2b-smallpeople/
http://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/07/xlr8r-moomin-b2b-smallpeople/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 20:59:27 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97109
Hamburg, Germany's Smallville has good reason to be excited: The beloved imprint, an offshoot of the record store of the same name, is in the midst of marking a full ten years of deep beats, surviving a decade that saw worldwide economic collapse and changes to the music business that made label life harder than ever. Of course, a few good things happened as well—for one, plenty of great house music was released, and a ton of it ended up on the little super-label. With an emphasis on dreamy, low-key, yet spacious four-to-the-floor material—and a roster that includes Move D, Benjamin Brunn, Lawrence, Christopher Rau, Thomas Melchoir and Bruno Pronsato, among many other notables—Smallville's rarely taken a wrong turn over its long lifetime. The label will be releasing an anniversary compilation, 10 Years—Smallville Ways, in September—but why wait till then to celebrate, especially when a crew of Smallville stalwarts have bestowed such a groovy set upon us? This mix come courtesy of label founders Dionne and Julius Steinhoff, together known as Smallpeople, and Moomin, who also happens to have his second album coming out on Smallville soon—and it's an spine-tingling beauty, needless to say. Oh, and look out for a new Smallville imprint, the aptly named Fuck Reality, coming your way soon.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/podcasts/2015/07/xlr8r-moomin-b2b-smallpeople/feed/0SoundCloud Confirms Subscription Service is Cominghttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/soundcloud-confirms-subscription-service-is-coming/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/soundcloud-confirms-subscription-service-is-coming/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 20:51:46 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97173Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud chief technology officer and co-founder, has confirmed plans to launch a paid subscription service on the social sound platform later this year according to Tech Times.

This announcement comes after documents were leaked last month showcasing SoundCloud's plans to join Apple Music, Spotify and other similar music platforms with a two-tier subscription service.

In the past, SoundCloud has been criticized for not paying royalties to artists and labels accordingly.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/soundcloud-confirms-subscription-service-is-coming/feed/1Gossamer "3d Relief"http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/gossamer-3d-relief/
http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/gossamer-3d-relief/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 18:24:22 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=97183Evan Reiner (a.k.a. Gossamer) turned to electronic music production after attending Boston's Berklee School of Music and, we have to say, we're glad he did. Reiner trades in beautiful, nostalgic-tinged beat music, with a focus on field recordings and guitar work. His debut LP, Automaton, landed on the always-on-point Innovative Leisure imprint on July 10, and is a gorgeous collection of tracks driven by floating atmospherics and field recordings—from Tokyo to Pasadena’s eerie Devil’s Gate Dam. Like a drifting daydream, the LP wanders into your subconscious with a warm embrace, taking you into Reiner's delicate world and before you know it, the LP is on its third repeat through. In support of the release, Reiner has offered up LP cut "3d Relief," a four-and-a-half minute slice of electronics highlighting Reiner’s Asian influences. You can grab "3d Relief" for free below, with the full LP available here.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2015/07/gossamer-3d-relief/feed/0Hi-Five: DJ T.http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-dj-t/
http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-dj-t/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 17:29:00 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=95117Raised on disco and funk, steeped in Teutonic electronics, Germany’s Thomas Koch—better known to clubland citizens as DJ T.—is one of the founding fathers, along with the Booka Shade and M.AN.D.Y. duos, of Get Physical, the label that first came to prominence in 2002 through a series of releases that tended to focus on steely and spacious electronic house. But to some degree, Koch's sound stood apart from his labelmates: His productions tended to add plenty of boogie and bounce into the equation, and tunes like 2003's "Philly" sounded as good in the headphones while rollerskating down the boardwalk as the did on a dark dancefloor. Get Physical, of course, went on to be one of the millennium's defining clubland labels, and Koch is going as strong as ever. And now, there's this: Not only has Koch just released a splendid new EP, The Growing, on Moon Harbour, but Koch and Classic cofounder Luke Solomon (currently serving as the Defected label's A&R guru) have put together the three-disc compilation Defected Gets Physical Mixed by DJ T. and Luke Solomon, coming out in late August. Koch mixes disc one, a selection of tracks from the Defected vaults; Solomon tackles the second disc with tunes from the Get Physical discography; and the third sees Koch and Solomon contributing eight exclusive (unmixed) edits to the comp. In the run-up to the album's release, we tapped Koch to give us five of his favorite…well, we'll let the man himself explain.

"The older I get and the longer I work as a DJ (currently 27 years) the more discerning my ear gets when it comes to listening to club music. In the past five years, I put more time than ever before into listening to music and digging around for new gems. In the process, I realized that I generally divide club music (all styles as well as each individual track) into two large groups; timeless music that transcends decades and short-lived trends, and what some would call fashion music. You can’t miss the styles in the latter category; they completely dominated the scene for one to two years before inevitably turning into a formula that has been copied to death, then vanishing from the scene. The type of nu deep house with its bouncing baselines and deep-pitched '80s R&B samples suffered this fate, and new Minimal progressive house (or whatever you want to call it) that has dominated Beatport’s charts in the Deep House genre for the past 12 months is in for a similar fate. I have focused on timeless music more than ever before in the past three years, and I am increasingly losing interest in trendy fast-lived music formulas. Some of my most important roots are in '80s Chicago and acid house, which, in part, only needed a handful of elements, but this is exactly what made it sexy and funky, there’s just no other way to achieve this. Of course, hardly anyone today produces music that sounds exactly like it did back then, but old school house and techno have never fully vanished from the scene. Countless producers draw on these styles from the '80s and '90s and preserve the legacy of this music. That’s exactly that I wanna tell in this Hi-Five piece: the funk of reduction, simple drum machine madness all represented by five tracks that cite the old, but are still very much a product of the here and now."

Makam "What Ya Doin" (Dekmantel)I’ve always liked it when tracks elude categorization. Makam is an underrated Dutch producer, a resident DJ at Trouw and a gifted DJ in general. His love of '90s house and techno emanates from all his tracks. “What Ya Doin” is a mixture of jacking Chicago beats, New York house, and a powerful shot of R&B all combined in a way you’ve never heard before. A track that definitely polarizes the dance floor, I’ve seen all types of reactions, from total indifference to collective orgasm.

Anthony Collins feat. Big Willy "Lie To Me" (HAKT Recordings)What the hell was Anthony Collins riding when he produced this track? At least as far as I see it, “Lie To Me” is the complete opposite of everything the Frenchman has stood for in past years: elegant, minimal deep house. The vocalist Big Willy obviously must have had an influence here. The simple electro-funk of the piece reminds me of Detroit bass à la DJ Deeon or DJ Assault. If I had to categorize it, I’d call it minimal booty house. An obscure track on the obscure HAKT label, an enterprise of ex-DFA Records manager Justin Miller.

Blaze "Do You Remember House" (Flashmob Edit) (unreleased)Ever since the two Italians carved out their own sonic niche four years ago with their first two critically acclaimed releases on Get Physical, they’ve held that spot. Reduced to the bare minimum, they produce old school Roland drum-machine house—sometimes suitable for the big room, sometimes deep and dreamy. My favorite track of theirs is “Do You Remember House,” which was never released; they only gave it to DJ friends as an edit of Blaze’s track of the same name. It always goes through the roof no matter where and when I play it.

Serge & Tyrell "Pump-o-Matic" (Clone Jack for Days)What would the legacy of Detroit and Chicago be without all the people from the Benelux countries, who with unflagging zeal and burning reverence continue to fly the flag? One of the holy-grail epicenters is Rotterdam’s Clone—not just a label, but a store and a distribution company with a lot of related artists who all have one thing in common.: They make retro music that doesn’t just cite older music, but that strives to preserve the vibe of the past as authentically as possible. My favorite of all the sublabels is Jack for Daze, and my favorite track of theirs is “Pump-o-Matic.”

DJ T. "Dis" (Kink (909 Tool) (Get Physical)Although his sound doesn’t embrace any of the current formulas in music, Strahil Velchev, a.k.a. Kink, has blossomed into one of the world’s most popular live acts over the past five or six years, to give him credit where credit’s due. His creative, sporty show offers the eyes and ears exactly what most of the others are missing. Kink seems to feel the way I feel: His heart beats for both Detroit and Chicago. That’s why his productions always sound like a mixture of both. His remix of my track “Dis” is one of the hardest productions I’ve ever heard him do; it’s just total drum machine madness.

]]>http://www.xlr8r.com/features/2015/07/hi-five-dj-t/feed/0Event Review: Mike Servito B2B Derek Plaslaiko at Fine Timehttp://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/event-review-mike-servito-b2b-derek-plaslaiko-at-fine-time/
http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2015/07/event-review-mike-servito-b2b-derek-plaslaiko-at-fine-time/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 16:42:53 +0000http://www.xlr8r.com/?p=96742Back to back is a term that's become watered down over the last couple of years, mostly because promoters and DJs were using the phrase to describe the work of one man, done by two people.

Quite often you will see these words used on party flyers that are trying to double-stack a lineup with way too many unknown names, and other times its used carelessly to describe the transitional time between two DJs who happen to be using the same setup (weird, I know.) But every now and then, when two authentic DJs who share more than a decade of friendship decide to tag-team the decks for four hours and go double-duty on mixing between acid and techno and all the weirdness in between, you know you are in for something much more than two dudes who look like they are checkin' their emails together. If you look around hard enough, and keep your ear to the ground, you will find promoters like Fine Time who understand this concept and strive to showcase incredible DJs like Mike Servito and Derek Plaslaiko to show us how a back to back set is really handled.

Mike Servito

Mike Servito has recently become known as the uncompromising vinyl DJ that played four major gigs in less than 48 hours in Detroit this year for Movement— including a sub-headlining slot at the festival itself and a 3 hour slot at Need I Say More with long time friend, Carlos Souffront. Mike and Derek share a long relationship that goes way back to Detroit more 10 years ago, and continues to be something very special that translates into their music when they are playing together for their home label at The Bunker New York. As for Derek Plaslaiko, he proved his marathon worthiness as a DJ years before he was immortalized on the internet by Boiler Room for his 12-hour-mostly-vinyl DJ set that he performed from his house in Berlin. These guys are no strangers to putting in work when it comes to dance floors, and they truly defended the back to back title in what some people would call a Los Angeles techno title fight.

Fine Time

When Mike and Derek are on the decks, there are no breaks going on at the turntables. Mike is constantly checking every variable degree of the record playback process and dialing in his tracks with druggy, filtered precision. Derek is working the CDJs, cueing up channels of perfectly crafted heady techno and hammering in classic slabs of acid house. Mike is digging through his overstuffed vinyl bag, looking for his next selection with an analog cigarette in his mouth, while Derek takes another pull from his e-cig. Mix after mix after mix the records do not stop coming out of Mike's mystery bag. Groups of newcomers are showing up to the party in swoths, and they are immediately crowding the area in front of the DJ booth, dangerously flailing themselves around to the booming bass, getting ever so close to disrupting the delicate yet volatile lifeblood of the party. Dedicated dancers begin to pray that none of these muppets bumps into a turntable. We close our eyes and continue to soak in the frequencies that are crafted from needle and groove, and we give praise to our higher powers for bringing together two DJs who are willing and able to put in the elbow grease that it takes to truly execute a back to back set.

Derek Plaslaiko

Mike Servito and Derek Plaslaiko are not two DJs doing the job of one person, but rather, they are the managers of an acid and techno disposal site and they wanna know if you punched your time card. The room continues to swell with dancers all the way to the back to the bar, and the one singular bathroom in the entire venue eventually gives way to many of the dancers hanging around out front and pissing in the streets. The night concluded with long whistles and cheers that were nearly indeciferable to my ears after almost 5 hours of hard-pounding music. People ended their nights twirling and staggering off of the dancefloor. The sidewalk out front has become littered with beer cans and cigarette butts, and the cars parked down the side streets are now covered in flyers that, when left on the windshield, say "Pull me over, it's 4AM and I've been out all night." By the time I got home at 5am, I could barely hear myself breath in complete silence, due to the state of my blissfully ringing ears. Thank you to everyone at Fine Time for putting together this night. Check out the next dates that Fine Time has lined up for us.